Thanks for writing this @merenbey.bsky.social. It is really important insight. I have had my own experience in trying to correct the scientific record with similar exasperations. You have inspired me to try again.
How every layer of science's "self-correcting machinery" failed when Iva Veseli and I simply wanted to reproduce the findings of a high-profile study on gut microbiome and autism:
merenlab.org/2026/04/15/u...
In future lots of R packages have development versions not on CRAN that have alternative installations. Ours is via GitHub using remotes::install_github("padpadpadpad/rTPC").
Finally managed to get a new version of rTPC (v1.1.0) onto CRAN, with @franwin.co.uk driving most of the changes. There are now 49 models included.
cran.r-project.org/web/packages...
And parallel fitting of TPCs can be done using mirai and purrr.
padpadpadpad.github.io/rTPC/article...
🧪 #rstats
Move slow and fix things
Screen shot of section 1.1 of the report "vision for a new publication culture"
The governing body for 14 Dutch universities (UNL) has published a "Vision on Publication Culture" that is so inspiring and forward thinking. Worth a read for those trying to changes publishing and research assessment practices.
Take a read:
www.universiteitenvannederland.nl/files/public...
A super hard trip again. Soph's gradual worsening means the risk of hospital looms larger than ever. And yet we know this would make her worse.
06/04/2026 A relentless spiral.
#pwME #severeME #MECFS
padpadpadpad.netlify.app/posts/caring....
Batman breaking a firearm and saying, "This is the journal of the enemy. We do not need it. We will not use it."
how I feel when open science initiatives choose to publish in Nature
Okay folks I've responded to the data center heat island paper. It is the worst study on AI and the environment I've ever read, by far. Thank you to @beijingpalmer.bsky.social for flagging. blog.andymasley.com/p/data-cente...
🔊 Looking for a Research Assistant in Bacterial Evolution to join my lab 🦠
🥼Main duties: Research (AMR + microbiome) + lab assistance.
⏲️ Post duration: 30 months
🗓️ Closing date for applications: 20th April 2026
💰 Salary: ~£35k
Details and how to apply: tinyurl.com/2a3v66y7
Please share!
Funded through the UQ partnership, you can find out more details and how to apply here: www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin.... You'd spend time in both institutions, and benefit from expertise spanning experimental evolution, AMR, climate change, and advanced statistical and mathematical modelling.
PLEASE SHARE. PhD Opportunity with me, Ben Raymond and Jan Engelstaedter and Andrew Letten at University of Queensland.
Experimentally testing mechanisms of how temperature may change selection and spread of AMR in E. coli. Coupled with some advanced modelling and sequencing.
🧪🦠 #microsky
Two post-doctoral positions open in our lab. We're looking for people with expertise in molecular microbiology and/or genome-scale tools. Initially 3 yrs, posts could be extended for upto 8 yrs. If you'd like to know more about us take a look at www.graingerlab.com
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQY475/r...
Then I am biased (I live in Cornwall) but the South West Coast path is rather lovely. Lots of options.
Nice. So the Peaks are awesome. Lots of nice - if not wet in November - walks and pubs with fires in them. From London I would visit Knepp Estate knepp.co.uk/visit-knepp/... that "rewilded" its farm and wrote "Wilding". You'll get good birding, some free roaming pigs, cows, deer, other things.
Whereabouts in England are you going to be? This is where I once again realise that far away in the UK is not the same as Australia.
These are bare minimum things we should be able to access if writing science articles. Trust in science relies on this transparency. Sorry if I came across nasty it was not my intention.
Hi Kieran. Maybe it was a little blunt. But I am genuinely interested in the study. It's not all that surprising that there are resistance genes in the water. What's also important is the abundance of those genes and what bacteria have them? Also how we measure stuff impacts our results....
Hi Rachel. Are your experimental design, methods, and results published anywhere? Presence is one thing but abundance is really important. And whether resistance is chromosome or plasmid mediated? And your replication?
Bit of a word salad from me this trip. I left a day early because she needed more time to recover from my visit before the Cheltenham Gold Cup Week. I was there for three days and saw Soph for three hours. She must be so lonely.
#pwME #severeME #MECFS
padpadpadpad.netlify.app/posts/caring....
The School of Biosciences at University of Birmingham is recruiting FIVE Assistant/Associate Profs in areas including fungal biology, plant science and bioengineering. Full details below 🍄🌾🧬🧫
Soph turned 37 over the weekend. I did not wish her happy birthday. We will get to celebrate eventually.
#severeME #MECFS #pwME
17/02/2026 Another birthday lost.
padpadpadpad.netlify.app/posts/caring....
How do we know our research results are REAL? We replicate them! Most folks agree but lament on how hard it is to publish these replications.
My dearest gentle reader, lament no more! Delighted to unveil: Replication Studies, a new section of Behavioral Ecology 1/
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
We're Hiring! We're looking for a postdoc with bioinformatics/modelling skills to join us in an exciting microbiome ecology project in Manchester (deadline 1st March) www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
Excellent article but stark reminder that for all the perceptions of universities as ivory towers for elites, they are actually vital hubs in towns n cities supporting local businesses and providing key services as well as education….
If only there was a way to stop some of the biodiversity crisis... We don't need a backup plan for life on earth, we need to stop the production and burning of fossil fuels. This feels a lot like science-washing.
Some initial reactions to the 'published on a Sunday afternoon' letter from the CEO of UKRI. 🧵
www.ukri.org/news/open-le...
I am sorry. We all knew the three buckets were coming. We are all prepared for a shift in priority. But this message does nothing for all the UK scientists dependent on project grant funding. It doesn’t actually give any information
www.ukri.org/news/open-le...
Its hard to know what to say. I have no idea how Soph does it. Another heartbreaking, gut-wrenching visit, finishing with a lunch that wasn't. We did not get to say goodbye.
#severeME #MECFS #pwME
25/01/2026 Every new day turns into the worst of her life.
padpadpadpad.netlify.app/posts/caring....
